What Happened to Soul for Real, the Music Artist?
Contents
If you’re a fan of ’90s R&B, then you might remember the group Soul for Real. They had a few hits, including “Candy Rain” and “Every Little Thing I Do.” But whatever happened to them? Let’s take a look.
Introduction
Soul for Real was an American R&B group from The Bronx, New York City, who were active in the early to mid-1990s. The group’s name is taken from a song on Heavy D & the Boyz’ 1992 album Blue Funk. The group consisted of brothers Andre (Born May 9, 1976), Christopher (Born October 29, 1974) and Jamal (Born September 25, 1979) Dewberry, and their cousin Kyjuan (Born April 23, 1974).
What happened to Soul for Real?
I loved the music of Soul for Real back when I was in high school in the mid-1990s. Their biggest hit was “Candy Rain,” but they had other great songs, too. I remember seeing them perform live on television a few times. They were a talented group of brothers. So what happened to them?
Financial problems
As of 2012, the group Soul for Real is no longer together. The four brothers that made up the soul and R&B group had to put their music careers on hold after facing some financial problems.
The members of Soul for Real – Andre, Christopher, Jamal and Derek – are the sons of Sugar Hill Records founder Sylvia Robinson. The brothers started their music career in the early 1990s and they were best known for their hit single “Candy Rain.”
The group last released an album in 1999, but they continued to tour until 2012 when they announced an indefinite hiatus. Since then, the brothers have all embarked on solo projects.
Record label issues
The group had a number of hits in the mid-1990s, but they eventually fell out of favor with their record label and disappeared from the mainstream music scene.
Soul for Real was a four-member R&B group from Mount Vernon, New York. The group’s members were brothers Christopher, Andre, Jason, and Malik Bordenave. Soul for Real found success in the mid-1990s with their album ‘Cream of the Crop,’ which included the hit single ‘Candy Rain.’
The group’s follow-up album, ‘For Life,’ failed to match the success of their debut and they were subsequently dropped by their record label. The group attempted to make a comeback in 2000 with the album ‘Soul Star,’ but it was unsuccessful and they disbanded soon afterward.
Drugs and alcohol
It’s been more than two decades since the release of Candy Rain, the debut album from the R&B group Soul for Real. The album featured the hit single “Candy Rain,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and propelled the album to platinum sales status. But after a string of successful singles and albums, the group seemed to disappear from the music scene altogether. So what happened to Soul for Real?
According to group member Blue Robinson, drugs and alcohol were a big part of the problem. In an interview with Vibe magazine, Robinson said that he and his brother Reece began drinking and doing drugs heavily during their time with Soul for Real. This led to fights within the group, which ultimately led to their break-up.
In addition to drug and alcohol abuse, financial mismanagement was also cited as a reason for the group’s downfall. In an interview with Baller Status, Robinson said that their former manager took advantage of them financially, and that they were left with very little money after leaving the music industry.
Soul for Real has attempted to make a comeback in recent years, but has so far been unsuccessful. In 2016, they released a new single “Can’t Believe my Eyes,” but it failed to make any impact on the charts. The group has also been plagued by legal problems in recent years, with several members facing drug and financial charges.
The present day
Many of us remember the soulful voice of leader singer, C.J. Mack, from the 90s R&B group Soul for Real. They mesmerized us with their slow jams and edgy dance moves. Let’s take a look at what happened to the group and where they are now.
Where are they now?
The group eventually disbanded, but not before giving us the hits “Every Little Thing I Do”, “Candy Rain”, and my personal favorite “Love Like This”. Where are they now you ask? Read on to find out.
First up is the group’s founder and leader, Andre Recke. Andre is now a music producer and D.J. He has produced for artists like Madonna, Mariah Carey, and Sting. He has also remixed tracks for Fatboy Slim and Michael Jackson. He currently lives in London with his wife and two kids.
Next is Abdul Hassan Sharief who was the group’s rapper. Abdul now goes by the name A&Rdash; he is a music producer and rapper. He has worked with Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and Busta Rhymes; just to name a few. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia with his family.
David Aaron Conley was the groups bass player as well as one of the singers. After Soul For Real disbanded he went on to join another R&B group named All-4-One; they are best known for their hit single “I Swear”. David left All-4-One in 2009 to pursue a solo career; he has since released two albums “The Bigger Picture” in 2010 and “Transitions” in 2013. David now resides in Los Angeles, California where he is working on his third album as well as acting; he has appeared in the television show What I Like About You and movies like Bring It On: In It To Win It (2007) and The Butler (2013).
Btwinz were identical twin brothers Jarett & Jared Tolbert; they were both percussionists in Soul For Real as well as providing backup vocals. After the group disbanded they went on to form a production company called Twinzbeatz Productions; they have produced tracks for artists such as Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Tyga, Flo Rida, and Sean Paul just to name a few). The twins currently reside in Miami Florida where they are continuing to produce music for various artists.
Last but not least is Christopher Johnson aka C-Smoove he was the groups drummer as well as one of the singers. After Soul For Real broke up he pursued a solo career; releasing his debut album My Turn in 2006 which featured guest appearances from 50 Cent & Twista. His most recent album The Reintroduction was released in 2013 & featured guest appearances from Lil Wayne & T-Pain among others . C-Smoove also dabbles in acting ,he has appeared In movies such like Drumline (2002) & You Got Served (2004) . He has also made appearances on tv shows like Eve & CSI: Crime Scene Investigation just to name a couple . C-Smoove lives Los Angeles ,California where continue work on new music .
What are they doing?
It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from the members of Soul for Real. The R&B group had a few hits in the ‘90s with “Candy Rain” and “Every Little Bit Hurts,” but they haven’t been active in recent years. So, whatever happened to Soul for Real?
The group was formed in 1992 by brothers Malik, Ahmad, and Omari Ali. They were later joined by their cousin Jarell Houston. The group released their debut album, Candy Rain, in 1995. The album was a success, reaching platinum status, and the singles “Candy Rain” and “Every Little Bit Hurts” were both top 40 hits.
The group released two more albums in the late ‘90s but didn’t find the same level of success as their debut. They disbanded in 2000 but reunited in 2011. Since then, they have toured sporadically and released a new album, reunion, in 2016.
So what are the members of Soul for Real doing now? We did some digging to find out.
Malik Ali is now a pastor at Higher Dimensions Church in Memphis, Tennessee. He is also involved with a Christian hip-hop group called One Way Movement.
Ahmad Ali is now a real estate agent in Los Angeles, California. He has also dabbled in acting, appearing in an episode of the TV show Rosewood and the movie Damaged Goods.
Omari Ali is now an engineer and producer living in Atlanta, Georgia. He has worked on projects for major artists like TLC and Usher. He is also a member of One Way Movement along with his brother Malik.
Jarell Houston is now a music executive living in New York City. He has worked with artists like Jay-Z, Puff Daddy, and Lil Kim.
Conclusion
The group continued to tour throughout 2018 and 2019. They announced on social media that they would be going on tour with Guy, Blackstreet, and SWV in May 2019. They also did a show in Baltimore in June 2019.
As of right now, it seems that the group is still together and performing. They have not released any new music since their album in 2006, but they continue to tour and perform their old hits.
